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T. C. Russell
Thornton Chandler "T.C." Russell is a fictional character on the NBC/DirectTV soap opera Passions. Character History Background TC was born in Harmony on February 20, 1955. He is the only child of Reggie Russell (originally named James Russell). T.C.'s family has lived in Harmony for hundreds of years. His many-times removed grandfather once owned a farm in Harmony, which was taken over by the Cranes. T.C. was an aspiring tennis star in his teens whose future was bright until the day he was hit by a car and was too injured to compete. His father supposedly died of a broken heart a short time later. T.C. blamed these misfortunes on the Crane family for more than two decades, believing that Julian Crane had been driving the car that hit him. T.C. eventually married doctor Eve Johnson and had two children with her, Whitney and Simone. T.C. pushed older daughter Whitney to be a tennis champion like he once thought he could be. Eve worked hard to hide her past from T.C., which included drug addiction and a son with T.C.'s arch nemesis Julian Crane. Eventually, Eve's secrets were exposed by her sister Liz Sanbourne. The revelations that Eve was the one who drove the car that hit T.C., and that she had a son with Julian who was supposedly Chad Harris, the fiancé of their pregnant daughter Whitney, ripped the family apart. T.C. divorced Eve and began sleeping with her sister Liz. Eve turned to Julian; they reunited. T.C. is known for having a fiery temper and for being very pig-headed. He disowned his daughter Simone for being a lesbian. Recently, T.C. had a stroke and reunited with Eve, who is helping him with his health. He has also accepted Simone and reconciled with the family. T.C was last shown babysitting his grandson Miles. He moved along with his daughters to New Orleans in order to be near a pregnant Whitney. Overall Character Summary TC's family has lived in Harmony for hundreds of years. His many-times removed grandfather once owned a farm in Harmony, which was taken over by the Cranes. TC was an only child who was well on his way to being a tennis star when a tragic automobile accident ruined that dream, and caused his father to die of a broken heart shortly afterward. Although he has no proof, he blames the Cranes for his family's misfortune. TC has never really given up on tennis, and to a great extent lives vicariously through his daughter Whitney's tennis career. Although he loves his younger daughter, Simone (whom he calls Sugarbear), it has always been Whitney he was closest to. He delights in his perfect family and his perfect marriage, and has no idea that his wife, Eve, was once a lounge singer as well as Julian Crane's mistress. As far as he knows, the woman he has been married to for over 20 years was a debutante who has no family left. T.C. eventually learned the truth -- that Eve had an affair and a child with Julian Crane. He was unable to accept what he viewed as the ultimate betrayal by his wife, and ended their marriage, taking up with her sister, Liz. T.C. later regretted his actions, but before he had a chance to really tell his family, he ended up in an automobile accident while driving under the influence. During his recovery, he suffered a massive stroke. T. C. is the patriarch of the Russell family. He is characterized by his violent temper and hatred of Julian Crane for supposedly injuring him in a hit-and-run attack, and destroying his chances of becoming a professional tennis player. T. C. is initially portrayed as a harsh and unforgiving parent; he pushes Whitney to train to be a tennis champion, as he once wanted to be, and disapproves of her relationship with Chad Harris-Crane, feeling it is a distraction. He is also violent with Simone when she reveals she is a lesbian. After learning about Eve's past relationship with Julian and her responsibility for the car crash that ended his tennis career, T. C. files for divorce and has a brief romance and engagement to her adoptive sister Liz Sanbourne. The show humanizes T. C. and softens his temper during his recovery from a stroke; his final storylines focus on his attempts to rebuild his relationship with his ex-wife and children. In 2007, he moves to New Orleans to help Whitney with her pregnancy and reconnect with Simone. T. C. does not appear in the show after its transition to DirecTV, and he is neither seen nor mentioned in the series finale.Category:Characters Category:Russell Family